Date:14/02/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/02/14/stories/2006021421230300.htm

New Delhi

Call for consultation on Education Bill

Staff Reporter

School representatives attend conference

NEW DELHI: Emphasising the need to move towards a knowledge-based curriculum, private schools from across the country today called for consultation on the proposed Right to Education Bill.

Noting that there were a lot of things about the proposed Bill that were still unclear, and in some cases even a little ``unfair'' on the private schools, the conference of Federation of Independent Schools in the Capital saw schools demanding a wider consultation on the matter.

Representatives from 400 schools and school boards from across the country attended the two-day conference that was inaugurated here on Monday. While stress was laid on promoting fine arts amongst students, it was felt that regional languages should be given a more important role to play.

"One of the suggestions made at the conference was that English need not necessarily be the medium of study in schools. It could be just one of the subjects while a regional language could be the medium,'' said D.V.Sharma, General Secretary of the Council of Boards of School Education in India (COBSE).

The need to discuss the Right to Education Bill was one of the major points raised at the event, with schools pointing out loopholes and problem areas. A number of issues like curriculum load, grading and innovative ways are likely to be discussed at the conference which will come to a close on Wednesday.